Often times I'll post something on the eBay Watch which isn't particularly outrageous, or certainly doesn't live up to it's claims, but today, the eBay watch is simply amazing. I've found this auction with only 5 hours left, so it's likely that by the time you look at this link, it will have ended with no bids, but someone is auctioning off all 720 original SNES games, complete in box, for a buy it now of $12,000. It really is impressive from many angles, and the pictures alone are fun to look at. Posted by charlie on March 31st 2007Leave CommentShare

I have been on a theme for the past several months about the seemingly unexplained growth in prices, and dwindling in supply, of many of the items on which the Preserve focuses. While basic economic theory will tell us that with lower supply and even a steady demand will come higher prices, the change seems sudden. I guess there is a time for all things, and now 20 years into the future, it's time for the central loves of the Preserve - being things like the Sega Master System, Air Raiders, and Battle Beasts, to really become more legitimately 'old collectables', which are getting harder and harder to find, even at high prices. I feel there's a book in there someplace, if only I could pull together some coherent thoughts!

Here then is today's eBay Watch, which is a possibly incomplete example of the Air Raiders Command Outpost. It has been some time since I've even seen one of these on line, and I love how it seems to have been photographed with a lapel-cam from 1994 by a displaced British National living in Pittsburgh. The price is not bad, and interestingly there are no bids! So I have managed to provide a counter-argument to my own point above, except that this has reminded me of the rarity of these items. Forget finding X-Panders or Flash Force 2000 more than once every 3 or 4 months - at least it makes for a fun 'hunt'.

Additionally we have on eBay a nice set of the original 5 issues of the Air Raiders Comic, which Cole has pointed out is done by Kelly Jones, which is awesome. I may try to keep an eye on this watch myself, as the Preserve could use a complete collection of these issues for the Air Raiders wing. Posted by charlie on March 30th 2007Leave CommentShare

Today's eBay Watch is a massive Genesis lot of games and hardware. While I have seen more absurd piles of equipment and media all grouped together, it is still an impressive set of games, though more impressive yet is the shipping rate! I figure it may go for around $850, but have been wrong before.

Because of how my mind works, I suddenly got a hankering to see what the internet had to tell me about one of my favorite topics, the Turducken. As expected, wikipedia thrust its hand into the air and squirmed in it's seat like a front row suck-up until it was called upon. Today, though, it had delightful and hilarious information! Please witness, the greatest 'nested bird roast' ever in the history of mankind:

The largest recorded nested bird roast is 17 birds, attributed to a royal feast in France in the 19th Century: a bustergophechiduckneaealcockidgeoverwingailusharkolanbler (originally called a Rôti Sans Pareil, or "Roast without equal") - a bustard stuffed with a turkey, a goose, a pheasant, a chicken, a duck, a guinea fowl, a teal, a woodcock, a partridge, a plover, a lapwing, a quail, a thrush, a lark, an Ortolan Bunting and a Garden Warbler. The final bird is small enough that it can be stuffed with a single olive; it also suggests that, unlike modern multi-bird roasts, there was no stuffing or other packing placed in between the birds. This dish probably could not be recreated in the modern era as many of the listed birds are now protected species.

I hope that John Madden reads this article as well as I can only imagine the delight that he would have over the amazing excess that this roast involves! I will always enjoy telling my Madden Turducken NFL story, and will gladly do so over several pints any day.

Today's eBay Watch is for a set of games that are being sold by an apparently very like minded collector, who for some sad reason is parting with that collection. Due to various terrible oversights, I actually don't have most of those excellent Genesis titles, but as we all remember from the gamelist of The Mighty Edwards, there are some real gems there, not to mention the SNES titles!

In several hours they will all be finished, in which case you'll want to check out this link instead, for his completed auctions - and see where they all ended up! Posted by charlie on March 23rd 2007Leave CommentShare

Tito has provided us with some interesting links this day. Apparently an enterprising young couple has taken to running a proper DeLorean Restoration shop - nice work! Some day, some day. Also from Tito is what I feel has to be today's Internet Aneurysm, involving everyone's favorite Porn Star and the greatest movie ever made! Don't that just beat all. Posted by charlie on March 21st 2007Leave CommentShare

In an effort to not participate in the problem of the easy loss of information on the internet, I am engaging in the re-posting of classic articles from the early days of the Preserve. Classic Preserve, we'll call it.

Here, then, is Part 1 of the Philly Classic 2001 article. A formative event not only in my gaming history, but in the history of gaming on the East Coast of this country, as the industry was exploding in it's next upwards swing at the start of this century. Posted by charlie on March 18th 2007Leave CommentShare

Last friday, some of us here at the Preserve had the great honor to go and meet Crispin Glover. I have recently come to more highly appreciate how awesome are his projects and the work of his career, and in particular am not able to highly enough recommend his CD: THE BIG PROBLEM != the solution. The Solution = LET IT BE. I believe the best way to hear this CD, especially for the very first time, is in a car, at night, on a long drive, or sitting comfortably at home in the dark with a strong drink in each hand.

I think that things are pretty well summed up by this. In person he was friendly and engaging, though tired after a three hour performance and a one hour signature line which had come before us, and was simply caught while signing the afore-mentioned CD when this shot was taken. We saw him in Rochester during one of the last stops on his promotional tour for his film, What Is It?, which is the first part of a trilogy. The second part has just premiered at Sundance this year, and he will tour with it starting in November. Perhaps even more enthralling than the movie is his "Big Slide Show", wherein he reads from 8 of his books, and it is 100% worth seeing at some point in your lifetime. Posted by charlie on March 7th 2007Leave CommentShare

The eBay watch from several days ago ended with a bid of $36 for the Atari 2600 6-game selector; a pretty cool piece of hardware, perhaps one day an example will join the Preserve.

Today's eBay Watch is an item, or group of items, near and dear to the heart of the Preserve. Some persistent soul is sadly parting with their Complete Sega Master System collection, including all 114 US released titles, and a few extras. It will be interesting to see where it ends, and seeing them all together simply reaffirms my interest in completing that collection. Posted by charlie on March 1st 2007Leave CommentShare